The Legal 500

Anjarwalla & Khanna has specialist teams advising on M&A, private equity, finance and property. The firm is acting for Helios Investment Partners on a $1bn cross-border acquisition of Shell’s downstream operations, and for SABMiller in the disposal of its $225m shareholding in Kenya Breweries. Karim Anjarwalla has ‘exceptional strengths in response times, business acumen and industry knowledge’; Mona Doshi is ‘extremely professional and diligent in her work’; and Maureen Mujera-Ogola and Rosa Nduati-Mutero are also highly recommended.

Coulson Harney Advocates provides ‘outstanding service, not only in the Kenyan context but when compared with other firms in the region’. Highlights included advising Centum Investment Company on the cross-listing of shares on the Ugandan Securities Exchange, and acting as local counsel for Diageo Africa on the $60m acquisition of a Tanzanian brewery. Angela Waki is a ‘tremendous resource’, and Richard Harney and Philip Coulson are widely acknowledged as major players. Other clients include Google and Barclays Bank.

Hamilton Harrison & Mathews’ five-partner, nine-associate practice has ‘great depth’. Richard Omwela and Daniel Wanjau are advising the Nairobi Stock Exchange on the first demutualisation in East Africa. The ‘reactive and competent’ Paras Shah is acting for Kenya Airways on one of the largest-ever rights issues in Kenya. The firm also acted for Standard Chartered Bank and Fortis Bank.

Kaplan & Stratton ‘deal with a transaction as if they are the dealmakers and not just the transaction counsel’. The firm assisted TransCentury Limited in a listing of $75m worth of Mauritian bonds, and Mahesh Acharya headed a team that carried out purchaser due diligence for Aramex International in a multimillion-dollar acquisition of an indigenous courier company. Oliver Fowler is very highly rated, and Binti Shah and Sam Wainaina are also recommended.

Daly & Figgis Advocates maintains a robust presence in the market. The team acted for Wananchi Group Holdings as borrower in relation to a $35m loan from Standard Chartered, and advised Multichoice Kenya on legal compliance after expansion of its pay-per-view and mobile telephone services. Julius Wako has ‘strong industry knowledge’, and Hamish Keith is well renowned. Shitul Shah rejoined the firm as a partner in March 2011.

Iseme, Kamau & Maema Advocates’ three partners work full time in corporate and commercial law, and the practice was strengthened and expanded by the recent addition of a tax director and a banking/conveyancing consultant. Pan-African in outlook, the firm has been acting on several cross-border transactions and is a founding member of Juris East Africa. Clients include Barclays, which it assisted in closing a drawn-out corporate recovery, Swissport Cargo Services and Coca-Cola. James Kamau is ‘exceptional’, and William Maema ‘particularly good on IP’.

Walker Kontos Advocates’ ‘extremely efficient’ team continues to specialise in finance. Alexandra Kontos led three associates advising BoA West Africa on the cross-border acquisition of 80% of Amalgamated Bank, based in Ghana. The firm also acted for SBGL in a syndicated financing worth $45m. The ‘impressive’ Michael Kontos is popular among clients.

Established in 2004, Muthaura Mugambi Ayugi & Njonjo Advocates’ three-partner, two-associate practice has a good reputation for corporate work, particularly M&A. The firm’s track record includes several high-profile briefs from Barclays Bank of Kenya, TransCentury Limited and the Kenyan government.

A well-respected commercial and conveyancing practice with a mix of Kenyan and UK experience, Raffman Dhanji Elms & Virdee has developed a niche assisting owner entrepreneurs entering the Kenyan market.